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Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Cottage Life - A Lenox Vase, An Empty Inbox and Chocolate

On Monday my friend Mary and I went thrifting and had lunch.Since I've been on my decluttering mission there wasn't much at our Soroptomist thrift store that tempted me. That is, until I saw this pristine little bud vase.

I love anything with pink roses, and it was only $1. When I turned it over and saw "Lenox" on the bottom my mind was made up. It came home with me.I like the way the roses twine around the base.

This vase "sparks joy". Which, if you've been following my decluttering journey, you know is now a criterium for having something in our cottage. Well, that's not true in every case. I'm not sure Bandaids and laundry detergent spark joy, yet I do have those in our home out of necessity.Since my last decluttering update I did dive into my paper pile. Ugh. Let's face it, going through clothes and books is a lot easier than dealing with paper. (At least it is for me.) I took a break from the ugh job one afternoon and attacked my email inbox, eliminating over 2,000 emails. (I am not kidding.) When I reached the point where there were zero emails in my inbox I made a cup of hot chocolate and celebrated my achievement.

For me this was a big deal, my friends, and I can't tell you how good it feels to now open up my email every morning and see only a handful of new notices in my inbox instead of hundreds of old ones. I'm determined to keep on top of this because somehow this one simple task has freed my mind for more joyful pursuits.Now if I can just get through those pesky papers. I'm afraid that undertaking is going to require more than the reward of a hot chocolate upon completion. It just might be a two cupper job.

Congrats on your de-cluttering! Going through all the paperwork that clutters up my computer room is a real chore. It gets cleared out (or at least superficially) about twice a year... but before I know it, it's cluttered again.

Dear Nancy ... Your little vase is so pretty. I find paper work to be a bit of a challenge. Although, we now have our file cabinet in good order. We have a basket on our kitchen desk which holds all paper that comes into our home. Once a week, I will sort through the basket and try to put things where they belong. Our computer, I tend to "tidy" up at the end of each day. I love to sort, declutter and tidy up. I think with living in a very small home, it has always been important to have a place for everything. Chocolate sounds like the perfect way to treat yourself. Enjoy your day. Hugs ♥ Teri

Your vase is precious! I am such a bug on having a light email inbox that I delete, delete and delete everyday! I also filled two huge bags with my clothes and dropped them at Goodwill. I had to stop reading the end of "the tidy book" because she got so ridiculous making your home and things sound as if they have feelings. My next project is my shoes and purses. Good luck with the paper sorting!

I have been purging, too, Nancy and very seldom buy anything anymore. I need so much less than I still have that I am afraid to bring more in. lolHope you have a great rest of the day...and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that little vase. That might have come home with me, too.xo Diana

For me, it would take several cocktails LOL I HATE going through papers and my desk is a nightmare right now. It has to be done eventually though. Decluttering my makeup, like you did, sounds like a lot more fun ;)

I can so relate to your heart, sweet friend. We, too, are on a major minimizing journey, and we have let go of SO much stuff! We still have a ways to go, and it is quite the process, but we are much closer to being finished than we were two years ago, praise God. I love your pretty vase, and yes, I think it would have had to come home with me, too!!! Sending love and hugs to you today!

Hi Nancy! Well, your post made me chuckle . . . some jobs do deserve two cups :) I went through my old emails a while back, too. I created files for those I wanted to keep and deleted the rest. Since then I have been doing it every few days, just to not get behind again. When we moved here I went through our paper files and what a mess. I had things that were over forty years old and had no meaning what so ever anymore. It feels good to have all of that decluttered . . . it might even be worth a pie and ice cream reward, when you are done :) More power to you, minimizing is not a task that we all can bravely do. I'm proud of you!Connie :)

The vase is darling... And yes laudry soap does spread joy, I guess, as I'm very unhappy when about to do some laudry just to discover I'm out of soap. Now I'll try and remember to smile every time I take the soap bottle;)

That vase is so cute and pretty Nancy. Love it and what a wonderful price too. I have been cleaning out all my emails and unsubscribing to a lot of advertisers. It is amazing how much stuff they send us in emails. Have a great evening.Hugs,Kris

I think I mentioned to you that as I've been decluttering my home of unwanted and unnecessary access, I've also found JOY in finding a vintage/antique treasure or two to replace things that were no longer useful or conducive to the style I'm after. I think your vase is PERFECT for a single bloom to give you joy!!!

I am like you in regards to emails. I started to delete old unnecessary emails the other day but like the paper clutter I got bored doing it and moved to something else. Maybe a chocolate reward would help. Have a blessed weekend my friend.

Papers and mail boxes are the stuff nightmares are made of! I have to get going on my e-mails one of these days too. That flower vase was totally worth bringing home Nancy! It's gorgeous!! Have weekend!

The necessity of bandaids makes me think of the William Morris quote: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Bandaids are definitely useful.

I've been putting off cleaning up my inbox. Just checked and right now it's at 1,344. I had everything nice and neat last year, but then things got out of hand again. The problem is that I can always find something more pressing (or more interesting) to do!

I love the Morris quote. I think of it often as I look around our cottage. I'm determined to be diligent about keeping my inbox clean. It just feels so good not to see clutter there. Kind of funny, really. But there you have it. :)

I hate paper decluttering too, but I don't have much of that to do after 2 moves. But oh my goodness I haven't tackled my inbox in a year or more, conveniently forgot all about it. Now it will be preying on me, thanks dear friend!

Nancy, my sister gave me a sweet little pink Lenox vase a few years ago so I can understand how this one caught your attention and captured your heart. It is a little piece of art. I must send you a pic of mine sometime.

And Nancy, thank you for your Lingering Room suggestion! I adore that but I'm not sure we can convince RH of it. The concept of it entrances me!

I understand what you mean about thrifting, and having to be so careful not to bring home something you really don't need. Indeed, this vase is gorgeous, and you will find a sweet little spot for it. Decluttering, ugh, yes... pour several cups of hot tea! Hugs!

You found a real bargain, my friend! I LOVE that sweet vase. It would bring joy to me, too. Paper - ugh! I really need to delve into that right away but it's not something that brings joy, for sure. An empty email box. Oh, I think I need to follow through on the quest I almost started earlier today. I opened my inbox and decided to start at the oldest and delete or deal with. But I didn't! It was overwhelming so I decided this, being Sunday, is a day of rest - and that was not restful! There's always tomorrow!!~Adrienne~

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Welcome to A Joyful Cottage

For as long as I can remember I've loved cottages. These cozy places, with abundant flowers and sunshine, give me a sense of peace and contentment. Walking through the front door of a cottage one sees simple, timeless decor: fresh cut flowers in unexpected containers, vintage fabrics, painted furniture and well-worn books. This isn't a home where everything matches and that makes the rooms even more enchanting. They're decidedly and lovingly filled with whatever things bring joy to the inhabitants. Come with me and explore the beauty and simplicity of a cottage life, no matter where you live.

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